Clasp for buttons



June 30, 1953 ]L R 2,643,426

CLASP FOR BUTTONS Filed June 22, 1949 WITNESSES INVENTOR:

Patented June 30, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLASP FOR BUTTONS Tyson F. Detwiler, Upper Darby, Pa. Application June 22, 1949, Serial No. 100,665

1 Claim. (01. 24-1005) This invention relates to clasps for buttons and more particularly to a variety of clasp which makes it possible to remove buttons readily from garments preparatory to washing, cleaning, iron ing, pressing etc. and to reapply the buttons with equal facility after such operations have been performed.

In the process of washing, cleaning, ironing and pressing of garments, especially with the use of modern machines for performing such operations mechanically, buttons of the conventional sewed-on type are often fractured, broken or torn from the fabrics to which they are sewed. Furthermore, the presence of such buttons renders it more difiicult to clean or press a garment with avoidance of wrinkles with the result that the areas of the fabric in the vicinity of the buttons are less neat in appearance than other areas. It has therefore become a common practice to cut off buttons before washing or cleaning, sometimes with injury to the garment, and subsequently to sew the buttons on again. This is a laborious and time consuming operation indicative of the need for improving the customary mode of attaching buttons to garments.

Certain types of removable buttons have heretofore been made which are adapted to penetrate an aperture in the garment and to be secured thereto by fasteners at the underside of the garment. While satisfactory for some purposes these have the disadvantage that the fasteners are usually bulky, often causing discomfort to V1 the wearer, and are rather unsightly in appearance.

The object of the present invention is to provide a button clasp which will overcome the difiiculties indicated above. plished by a novel form of clasp having a base member which is permanently aflixed. as by sewing, to the fabric and which is of such size, shape and strength that it will not be distorted or darnaged in the process of ironing, cleaning, press ing or laundering the fabric, and having a fastening element which is slidably interlocked with the base member and the removable button.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clasp of the character indicated above in which the slidable fastening element is limited in its travel and maintained at all times in snuglyfitting association with the base member and is readily engageable so that it may be shifted from one position to another.

Still other objects and advantages of the invention, including those derived from simplicity and economy of manufacture, and ease of assembly and operation, as well as the capacity to secure buttons positively to prevent the loss thereof, will become more apparent from the description of certain embodiments of the invention as set forth hereinafter with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 represents aplan view of a clasp embody" This end is accoming the invention with its slidable fastening element shown in closed and open positions, the latter being indicated by dot-and-dash lines;

Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the same, partly in section, as indicated by the arrows II+II of Fig. 1, with the two positions of the slidably fastening element similarly indicated, and showing a button in fragmentary elevation interlocked with said clasp;

Fig. 3 represents a perspective view of the base member of the clasp;

Fig. 4 represents a perspective view of the fastening element of the clasp;

Fig. 5 represents in plan view another form of button to which the clasp may beapplied;

Fig. 6 represents the button of Fig. 5 in vertical section, as indicated by the arrows VI--VI in Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 represents an enlarged perspective View of the backing element of the button of Figs. 6 and 7 by means of which it is secured to the clasp.

With reference to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive there is shown a piece of fabric i l which may be assumed to constitute a part of a garment or any other article to which'buttons are applied. A button clasp embodying this invention and consisting of a fixed base member l2, see Fig. 3, and a movable fastening element l3, see Fig. l, is permanently affixed to the fabric H by threads it stitched around the laterally projecting wings :5 of the fixed element 12.

In this example of the invention the base member [2 of the clasp comprises aligned socket elements [6 which are spaced apart to form a gap between them to accommodate the eye 52 of a button [8. The socket elements it are generally cylindrical and are connected to each other by the wings 15 which are formed integrally therewith.

At diametrically opposite points one of the socket elements It is provided with inwardly projecting keys or lugs it which may be formed by indenting the cylindrical wall of the socket elements at the exterior surface thereof, the ind-em tations being effected after the fastening element [3 has been inserted and properly positioned within the base member !2. Desirably the base mernher I 2 including its socket elements It and wings i5 is madeof metal or plastic material having sufficient strength to withstand any stresses that are likely to be experienced in the process of ironing a garment. Moreover, the total bulk of the base is relatively small in comparison with the button and hence no problem is presented, when the button is removed, in connection with :any of the operations involved in washing, clean-- ing or ironing.

The fastening element IS in the illustrated example of the invention is in the form of a cylindrical pin having an enlarged head 2! at one end and having grooves 22 extending longitu- 2. It will be noted that the formation of the head 2| is such that a finger-nail maybe easily introduced at the undercut portion when the fastening element is in its closed position.- Alternatively the cylindrical pin may, if desired, be shifted by applying a pointed instrument to the opposite end of the pin. The remaining: nortion of the head serves; as a stop engaging the adjacent socket element. IE to limit. the, extent of inward movement of the. pin.v The grooves 22 extend for only a portionof the length of. the fastening element. [3 andaretapered both as to depth and width, the narrower and shallower end of said grooves being disposed at that end of the base at which the keys l9 are provided. Thus as the fastening pin I3 is pushed into. the aligned socket elements l6 and. reaches. its. innermost closed position the keys snugly fit in the grooves 22 and the frictional engagement between these elements is greatest. Preferably the parts are so designed that the end of the fastening pin l3 opposite to its head 2| is flush with the end of the corresponding socket element I when the pin is in its'fully closed position. This relationship serves to provide a more positive interlock and thus prevents an accidental dislodgement of the button l8. Moreover, the relationship between the keys l9 and grooves 22 is such that the fastening element |3 cannot become lost or disengaged but is at all times maintained in operative association with the base l2 of the clasp.

The engagement of the grooves 22 with the keys I9 also prevents. rotation of the fastening pin it and thus maintains the undercut portion of the head 2| in a definite angular position within the base member. More specifically, the undercut portion. of the head; is held in a position adjacent to the fabric and it may be more easily found, grasped and, withdrawn by the fingers on this account.

A wide variety of buttons may be employed with the clasp of this invention. Inthe example represented in Fig. 2 the button I8 is of a conventional type having a metallic ring shaped eye ll projecting rearwardly fromthe body of-the button at the center thereof. In Figs. 5, 6 and '7 there is illustrated a different form of. button |8a which has four holes 25 arranged irra square through which threads 26 are passed and by means of which a backing element 21 is sewed to the button. To hold it more firmly in place the backing element 21 is embedded within ;a rectangular groove 29 in the back of the button and consists of a fiat metal strip bent to provide a central U-shaped portion 28 which forms an eye engageable with the fastening element of the clasp in the same manner illustrated in Figs. 1-4 of the drawings. The ends 3|] of the metal strip which forms the backing element 21 are somewhat wider than the remainder thereof and fit snugly within correspondingly enlarged portions of the groove 29 preventing any slippage of the backing element with respect to the threads 26. This button |8a presents the appearance of an ordinary sewed-on type of button but has the advantage of being readily removable.

In affixing the base member |2 of the clasp to a garment care is taken to so position the head 2| of the fastening pin I3 with relation to the surrounding edges of the button hole that it lies adjacent to that edge of the button holes which is most likely to press with force against it, therebytaking advantage of the, direction of the forces most likely to be encountered to cause such forces to tend to maintain the fastening pin in a closed position.

It'will'be appreciated that there is no necessity of putting. any holes in buttons used with a clasp of this invention but an apertured button may beemployed', if desired. In addition to the benefits. and advantages already referred to, it will be apparent that after" the clasp has been once sewed on.a fabric in the proper position no further labor. is. required with respect to the same, and that. if and when a button. is removed. and replaced, or a new button is substituted,v it. is assured that the replaced or new button will be in the proper position. Moreover, the clasp of this invention is so designed and shaped with avoidance of sharp edges or corners, and of such small size that it will not catch, cut, snarl or tear fabrics with which it may come in contact in the processes of laundering, cleaning etc.

It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that the clasp of this invention is not limited to use with buttons of the particular character which have been illustrated herein but has a wide variety of applications to other forms of buttons and equivalent articles. It will also be apparent that various changes may be made in the form of the clasp and its component elements, including reversals of parts and substitutions of equivalents, all without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the annexed claim.

Having thus described my invention, I. claim:

A clasp for detachably securing abutton having an eye to a piece of fabric, comprising a pair of sleeve elements spaced apart from one another, rigid spacer means fixed to and connecting said sleeve elements together and providing a gap for accommodating said eye, means for affixing said spacer means to the fabric, a pin slidably and snugly fitting within said sleeve elements and bridging said gap for penetration through said eye, said pin being slidable within said sleeves and having a free end reciprocable across said gap to engage andrelease said eye, limit means for restricting the longitudinal sliding movement of said pin away from said gap when said eye is'released, and friction means on said pin and on one of said sleeves including a lug and a tapered groove, said groove having a tapered face that is capable of reciprocating movement with respect to said lug, said tapered face extending across the path of said reciprocating movement with capacity to engage said lug frictionally in response to the sliding movement of said pin for braking said pin against further sliding movement when said eye is engaged.

TYSON F. 'DE'I'WILER.

References Cited in the file. of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS.

Number Name Date 2,122,208 Lyle June 28, 1938 2,124,975 Hojnowski July 26, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 9,508 Great Britain of 1887 367,800 France Sept. I5, 1906 437,694 France Feb. 24'. 1912 

